Confined deep water system development on the accretionary wedge (Miocene, Kahramanmaras Foreland Basin, S turkey)

Abstract

According to theoretical studies, the foreland basin consists of: accretionary wedge (including wedge top or piggyback basin), foredeep, forebulge and backbulge depozones. All of them are parallel to the orogenic belts of the overlying and underlying plates. The closure of the southern branch of the Neotethys during the Late Cretaceous led to an oblique collision of the Arabian Plate and the Anatolide-Taurides Platform, leading to the development of the Miocene Kahramanmaras Foreland Basin (KFB). Thus, the promontory shape of the Arabian Plate prevented the development of an accretionary wedge parallel to the orogenic belt. The accretionary wedge of the KFB includes blocks of various sizes and age (mainly Mesozoic limestone) scattered within an Early Tertiary matrix (mass wasting deposits and shallow to deep marine sediments). At the beginning of the Miocene, transtensional tectonism led to the development of half-graben basins on top of the accretionary wedge. These basins (namely: the Tekir and Cukurhisar) also cut the foredeep of the KFB obliquely (in contrast with the theoretical study). This paper focuses on the evolution and fillings of those basins. Initially, claystone and basin margin reef deposits filled the half-graben basins as a consequence of the Lower Miocene sea invasion. Then, long and narrow conglomeratic channels starting from the northern edge of the basins (fan-delta) progressed southwards, passing into sandy lobes, then into claystones. An activation of the boundary faults of the wedge top basin stopped the progression of the Lower Middle Miocene sediments and led to their deformation. Then, the sedimentation of the KFB shifted towards the basin centre during the Middle Miocene. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.